Alberta's Top Employers (2025) Magazine - Flipbook - Page 62
62
SPONSOR CONTENT
ALBERTA’S TOP EMPLOYERS (2025)
It’s a ‘magical group’ at the Royal Alex Foundation
W
hen opportunity knocked,
Jeanine Olivares
followed her
destiny, as well
as her mother’s footsteps when
she applied for a job at the Royal
Alexandra Hospital Foundation.
Mind you, her mother wore a different kind of shoe while walking
the halls of the hospital affectionately known as the Alex.
“My mother was a nurse at the
Alex for 30-plus years, so for me
to come back and work there is
like a full circle,” says Olivares, the
foundation’s director of lotteries
and gaming.
“To have a job where I can go
and give back to a place that’s
made a difference in my personal
life, and in my mother’s, is very
rewarding.”
The Royal Alexandra Hospital
Foundation is based in Edmonton
and raises funds for advanced
education, research and facility
upgrades to improve the health
of Albertans. Established in 1984,
it supports several centres of
excellence on the campus of the
Royal Alexandra Hospital.
In her role, Olivares not only
helps raise funds, she gets to give
some of them away at cheque
presentations to lucky foundation
lottery winners. She says it’s great
to hand someone a cheque, but
learning how they have a connection to the Alex is a bigger thrill.
“They’ve always had an experience, whether it’s personal or for a
family member. Some have given
birth at the Alex,” she says.
“One gentleman was born at the
hospital and also had cardiac care
at the CK Hui Heart Centre while
his wife had received treatment at
the Eye Institute of Alberta. Those
are all part of the Alex – it isn’t just
one hospital.”
Employees also feel a strong
sense of connection with each
other. Teamwork, collaboration
and creativity are central to the
foundation’s operations, says
Lindsay Robertson, vice president
of communications, marketing
and brand.
“Our team has found a way to
bond and create a pretty magical
group,” she says. “We’re a bottom-up organization that’s always
looking for new ways to innovate.”
Immersed in the health sector,
the foundation places special
emphasis on employee well-being.
Employees receive up to $10,000
a year in wellness dollars they can
use for lifestyle-related needs like
gym memberships, yoga classes
or skiing, on top of their other
medical benefits.
It’s really rewarding to
think that some small part
of the work that I do is
helping doctors and nurses
to save lives.
— Jeanine Olivares
Director of Lotteries
and Gaming
IMAGE 1 GOES HERE!
remove this text box.
The Royal Alexandra Hospital Foundation focuses on improving the lives of patients by making a critical
difference in healthcare.
The foundation also supports
its employees via in-house
and online training, as well as
tuition subsidies. When Olivares
was named a Top 40 Under 40
honouree by the Association for
Healthcare Philanthropy, there
was no question the foundation
would give her paid time off and
cover her travel expenses to the
awards ceremony in San Diego.
Robertson says the foundation’s
culture of openness and accessibility is helped by flexible arrangements where employees work
from home for two days a week
and are in the office for three.
The office atmosphere is charged
with ideas being exchanged by
